


Numbers

by MamaFriesmeal



Category: GoGo Sentai Boukenger | Rumbling Squadron Boukenger
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, by a few years, if canon wont make sense of Sakura having Vehicle #5 then I will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 06:10:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4293765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaFriesmeal/pseuds/MamaFriesmeal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura joins SGS and is assigned her position as a Boukenger, but she has a few changes in mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Numbers

For six months, the promising JSDF officer had turned down repeated invitations from SGS to join what had been referred to in letters and phone calls as a "permanent position in a special project". In less than an hour, the leader of that special project, Akashi Satoru, had convinced Nishihori Sakura to reconsider and join him as a Boukenger.

Sakura had been silent through the majority of the lengthy tour of the SGS facility as she trailed a few steps behind Akashi, matching his pace identically as he explained what SGS did and why -- Collecting dangerous artifacts so that more malicious groups couldn't misuse them. Sakura had her doubts that the whole organization was so benevolent, but she kept those thoughts to herself.

"Makino-sensei!" Akashi waved at a cheerful older man as they entered a large hangar. Sakura stared up at the five large vehicles in the open area as Akashi led her to Makino. "This is Nishihori Sakura. We're bringing her on to the Boukenger unit as Sub-Chief."

"S-Sub-Chief?" Sakura stuttered slightly. There had been no mention of rank being given to her. Akashi looked back at Sakura and smiled.

"Of course! We're going to need skills like yours to keep this unit organized." Akashi said, clearly pleased, "We were always scouting you for the position of Sub-Chief." Sakura glanced away, slightly flustered by the praise. If she was meant to ensure the team, however many it would become, ran smoothly then she would put her all into making sure that it did.

"My name is Makino Morio." Makino bowed, "I design, build, and maintain the equipment you'll be using as a Boukenger."

"Nishihori Sakura. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sakura bowed politely before turning her attention to the vehicles again. "You designed and built all of these?"

Makino smiled, pleased by how impressed their new recruit seemed to be by his work. "That's right. And the Parallel Engines that power them also power these." He gestured Sakura over to a wall where he input a code on a panel, opening up a display of five different colored full-body suits and helmets. Alongside each was a different weapon. "The red suit corresponds to Vehicle 1, and is Akashi's. Vehicle 2, which we've assigned to the Sub-Chief, is BoukenBlack."  
Sakura looked at the suit, then to the large black forums a racer, and then to the hammer alongside the suit. Her gaze scanned over the other suits, stopping on the one furthest to the right.

"That one."

Makino and Akashi both looked to Sakura, confused. She turned to face them sternly and spoke with absolute conviction, "I am going to use the pink one."

"E-Eh?!" Makino stumbled and shook his head, "But that corresponds to Vehicle 5! For the Sub-Chief not to be in Vehicle 2 goes against all protocols!"

"Pink has a gun." Sakura said simply, then waited a beat as if she expected that to clarify everything. For Akashi, who had seen her in the firing range, it did. But Makino continued to stammer protests until Sakura brought up a hand to silence him. "I've trained for many years with a wide variety of guns and rifles. For me to learn an entirely new fighting style based on closer range melee fighting would be inefficient when there's already equipment suited to my skills."

Makino sighed, conceding the point. "I guess we can change the designations and switch Pink and the GoGo Marine to 2 and Black and GoGo Formula to 5."

"That would also be a waste of time." Sakura turned to look at the vehicles, "All of your files already have them marked as is, correct? To spend time changing them when there is other work to do would be another inefficient use of our time. I will simply use Vehicle 5 and the BoukenPink suit." Sakura said, as if she had already gained the authority to make these decisions, "The number isn't as important as the work that needs to be done."

Making a stared for a moment, then looked to Akashi for help. Akashi simply smiled and gave Makino a firm pat on the back. "Your heard her!" Akashi laughed, "We'll have to change which vehicle is in her file and re-register he Accellular, but that won't take long." Akashi looked to Sakura and smiled, "That's all for today, so you're dismissed. You remember how to get back to the residence hall from here, right?"

Sakura nodded, and saluted. "Yes. What time should I report tomorrow, Chief?"

"Nine A.M." Akashi responded, putting his hands into the pockets of his jacket, "And you don't need to salute. We aren't military. You can relax a little."  
Sakura eyed Akashi skeptically, but nodded. They watched he depart quietly before Makino closed off the display for the Boukenger suits and he and Akashi walked back to Makino's lab. As Makino changed the vehicle that Sakura's Accellular was registered to, Akashi leaned his hip on the desk, looking out at the vehicles and considering their new recruit. "What do you think of her, Makino-sensei?"

"She's a little stiff for this sort of work, don't you think?" Makino sighed, "She was very intimidating…"

Akashi seemed surprised by the answer. "You think so?" He questioned thoughtfully, "She still thinks like a soldier, but she'll get past that once she's more used to SGS. She's already found something to take comfort in here."

"What?" Makino looked up at Akashi.

"The GoGo Marine's suit and weapon." Akashi clarified. "She's a smart woman and she's trained in more than just guns. She could learn to fight with the Radial Hammer with no trouble." Akashi tilted his head back, thinking back on their conversation in the firing range. "While we talked about her joining SGS, she continued firing the clip she was working on. I thought maybe it had been an attempt to intimidate me, but that wasn't it. In a stressful situation, she's more at ease with a gun. They're straightforward, keep distance between the user and the target, and regardless of a person's strength and skill they can be used pretty effectively. For a woman of her skill, she's untouchable with a gun in her hands." Akashi pushed away from the desk to pick up the file on Sakura that Mr. Voice had compiled for him. "This is a new situation, and it's very different from what she's been used to in the previous phases of her life. So she insisted on having something familiar to ease the transition. It's a security blanket."

Makino looked up at Akashi. He could be pretty oblivious to social situations, but when he believed in someone, Makino was impressed by how thoroughly Akashi could read them. He smiled and returned to adjusting the Accellular. “Well, this is your team and you get the final say as to whether or not she’s in.”

Akashi set down the folder and grinned, “Then it looks like we’ve found our BoukenPink.”


End file.
